Baby Driver

Published
Sep 1981
Main Genre
General Fiction General Fiction
Rating
Pages
292

About This Book

The first novel by Jan Kerouac, daughter of Jack—a thrilling work of autobiographical fiction that captures with inspired detail a life driven by adventure, drugs, far-flung travel, and like her father, a relentless quest for pure experience.

"If [Jack] Kerouac sometimes put a spiritual gloss on poverty and life on the edge, his daughter offered an unflinching vision." —The Guardian


"Was it January or February? The coconut fronds waving, shining like green hair in the sun, gave no clue." Fifteen-year-old Jan is pregnant, gamely living off rice and whatever fish her boyfriend John can catch in Yelapa, Mexico. Her sojourn there–both thrilling and heartbreaking–marks the beginning of a life of restless wandering. Jan Kerouac, the only child of Jack Kerouac, first published her autobiographical novel Baby Driver in 1981. Fearless and frank, Baby Driver is the story of a difficult childhood, marked by maternal warmth and paternal disregard, and of the heady freedom and precariousness of self-reliance.

Genres & Themes

Formats & Editions

Browse the different covers, formats, and publication history for this title.

Paperback

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Paperback
May 1983 Henry Holt ISBN13 9780030625381 ISBN10 0030625386
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Trade Paperback
Nov 2025 New York Review Books ISBN13 9781681379739 ISBN10 1681379732
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Hardcover

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Hardcover
First Edition Sep 1981 St. Martin's ISBN13 9780312063764 ISBN10 0312063768
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eBook

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eBook
Nov 2025 New York Review Books ISBN13 9781681379746 ISBN10 1681379740
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eBook
Nov 2025 -- Not Selected ISBN10 B0DWW5RLZC
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Audio

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Audible
May 2026 -- Not Selected ISBN10 B0GD2NH51Y
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